Every Season Under Heaven
by Wisegal
Summary: **UPDATED****Sequel to Through The Valley** Monica's facing her toughest assignment ever. Will the love of her friends and a new friend be enough to help her through it?
1. Prologue

Title: Every Season Under Heaven

Authors: Jennifer G. and Kimbre

Category: LOTS of drama

Rating: PG-13

Summary: What happens to angels that die?  Will Kayla beat cancer when an angel couldn't?  Sequel to "Through The Valley." This story will make no sense if you haven't read that one.

Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own them and I promise to put them back when I'm done, with minimal damage.  Don't sue me, you won't get anything from this poor college student anyways, LOL.  And my wonderful co-author Kimbre doesn't have any interests in lawsuits either, so there! ;)

Authors notes to follow the last chapter….

Ok, here we go…. Buckle your seatbelts… it's gonna be a bumpy ride.  You have been warned….

**Prologue**

            _As the song went on, the beeps on Monica's heart monitor began to slow down.  Silent tears rolled down Andrew's face as well as Tess's as they did their best to make the moment peaceful.  Tess's rich voice finished the heartfelt song as Andrew whispered words of love to his dearest friend and Monica weakly squeezed Tess's hand as the heart monitor beeped one more time and then the line running across the screen went flat...  _

            Andrew felt Monica grow limp and heavy in his arms and he knew that she was gone.   He swallowed the lump in his throat as he stepped forward and gently placed her body back on the bed.   She looked so peaceful, dark eyelashes resting gently against her porcelain skin, her small hands resting at her sides.  The little Irish angel was so still, which was the only thing that gave her away to be anything but asleep, even though her fragile body still showed the signs of the illness that had ravaged through her.   

            Tess and Andrew flanked the sides of the bed as the doctor came into the room and turned off the alarm of the heart monitor.  "I'm so sorry," Doctor Stanton said, her eyes flicking to the small body of her patient.  The older doctor felt a twinge of pain in her heart as she looked into the faces of Monica's friends.  This day wasn't the first one that caused the older doctor to question why disease happened to people like Monica, who had so much to offer, and so much life left.  Doctor Stanton quickly turned off the oxygen, and disconnected Monica's body from the machines that had been trying to keep her alive.  She pulled the shades down over the inside windows, so nobody could see into the room from the hospital corridor.  "Take as much time as you need," she told the two grieving angels as she headed for the door, "have the nurses page me if you need me." 

            Andrew reached down and stroked Monica's hair back from her face, a gesture that he had done so many times before.  "I can't believe that it actually happened, Tess," he whispered.  "What happens to angels that die?"

            "They go Home."  A familiar voice answered.  Andrew and Tess turned to find Adam standing at the foot of the bed, looking down at Monica's still figure.  "I took her Home to be with the Father."

            "How is she, Adam?" Tess asked anxiously, "How's my baby?"

            Adam hesitated for a moment before answering, trying to think of the words that would hopefully give his friends some peace, "She's no longer in any pain, and she's back to her old self," _mostly, _his mind added.  "She misses you though, and she wanted me to tell you that she loves you both very much."

            "When is she coming back to us?"  Andrew asked, his face pained.

            Adam shrugged, "I don't know.  I wasn't given any information other than to tell you where she was."

            Andrew took Monica's limp hand in his and brought it to his lips.  "I love you so much, sweet angel.  I'll see you later."  He straightened up and wiped a lone tear from his eye.  "I need a few minutes," he told his friends, "I'll be back later."  Giving Monica's hand one last squeeze, he stood up and walked out the door.

            Adam looked at Tess worriedly, "Do you think he'll be alright?"

            "I sure hope so, baby… But I don't think any of us will be until we see Monica again."

***

            Andrew sat in the hard wooden pew in the hospital chapel, staring at the altar at the front even though he was seeing nothing but the events that had transpired in the last half hour back in his friend's hospital room.  He had never seen an angel die before, and the fact that the angel in question was his dearest friend made his heart ache like never before.  Andrew felt a presence next to him, and without turning his head, he asked, "How, Adam?"  He asked, not expecting to get an answer.   "How could anything hurt this much?"

            "I don't know, my friend.  But I do believe that there was a reason for this."  Adam placed his hand on his friend's shoulder.  The contact seemed to bring Andrew out of his trance, and he looked at him with eyes full of raw pain.  

            "A reason?  Adam, did you get a look at her before you took her home?  I've never seen anyone suffer like that before."  

            Adam nodded his head, "Yes you have, Andrew.  You've seen suffering like that thousands of times.  It just seemed worse this time because you love Monica so much." 

            "Of course I love her, Adam!  She's my dearest friend, and she didn't do anything to deserve any of what she went through.  You weren't there; you didn't see how scared she was, and how much it hurt me to not be able to take that fear away for her.  I couldn't do anything!  I couldn't stop her from being afraid, and I couldn't stop her from dying!"  Andrew looked his friend dead in the eye, and the pain and confusion Adam saw in his friend's green eyes was enough to make his own heart hurt.  

            "Andrew, stop for a second and think about what you've just said."  Adam kept his hand on his friend's shoulder, forcing eye contact.  "This whole situation has given you a chance to learn something as an angel, if only you'll take the time to see it."

            Andrew's eyes clouded over with confusion, "What?"

            "Monica's death was senseless, slow, and full of suffering, right?"  When Andrew nodded, he continued, "And, you don't think anything could hurt so much, and you can't seem to understand why I said you've seen suffering like hers a thousand times over, because to you it seems so much worse."  Andrew nodded again, not really following his friend's train of thought.

            "I don't understand, Adam.  What are you getting at?"

            Adam paused for a minute, hearing words only audible to him, "Andrew," he said gently, "Isn't that how all of your assignments feel?  They see suffering on the news and all around them, but it never hurts as much as when a loved one is doing the suffering.  They can't see God's plan in the midst of all of it, because all they can see or think of is how much their loved one didn't deserve what happened to them, and how helpless they felt not being able to stop it."

            "Oh, my God," Andrew uttered, finally understanding what Adam was trying to say, "But, Adam, it still hurts so much.  To watch her go through all of that, and not be able to stop it."

            Adam squeezed his friend's shoulder, his eyes full of compassion.  "I know, my friend, but even though you don't see it now, you've been given a gift.  You have an entirely new understanding of what the loved ones of the people you take home are feeling, just as Monica has a whole new understanding of what humans facing death are feeling.  I know it hurts, and God knows it hurts.  And you know where to take that hurt, Andrew.  You take it to the same place you tell your assignments to take it to."

            Andrew nodded, his eyes glassy with unshed tears.  Adam squeezed his shoulder once more and rose from the pew, heading for the chapel doors as Andrew got to his knees and bowed his head to speak to the Father, just as he had told countless assignments to do.

***    

            Tess stood outside Kayla's room, looking at the door and trying to figure out how she was going to tell the young woman about Monica.  "That young baby's going to be heartbroken, Father," she whispered, "Just give me the right words to say to her."

            The older angel opened the door and entered quietly, in case Kayla was sleeping.  She looked towards the bed and found that the young woman was awake, and watching television.  "Hello, baby."

            Kayla turned at the sound of the familiar voice and smiled, "Tess."  Her smile faded as she looked into the angel's eyes, seeing the pained look reflected in them, "What happened?"  She asked quietly, hoping against hope that the answer wouldn't be the one she feared.

            Tess took a seat on the edge of Kayla's bed, "Baby, I don't know how to tell you this…"

            Kayla cut her off, "She's gone, isn't she?"  She asked tearfully, "Monica's gone."  It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

            "Yes baby," Tess said, "We lost her about an hour ago."  A choked sob escaped Kayla and Tess reached out to gather the young woman into an embrace, partially to comfort the young human, and partially to fill a need within herself.  "It's okay, baby.  She's not in pain anymore, and she's with God."

            "I know," Kayla said, still wrapped in Tess's arms, "But she was one of the best friends I ever had."  Tears rolled silently down the young woman's face as Tess stroked her hair.  "What if I die too?"

            Tess pulled away slightly and looked Kayla in the eye.  "Listen to me, baby," She said sternly, but gently, "You are not going to die.  You're a fighter, and you are going to beat this."

            "But Monica couldn't beat it, and she was the strongest person I ever met!"

            "Yes, baby, she was strong," Tess agreed, her heart contracting as she spoke of her baby in the past tense.  "But, her body just gave out on her.  Your body is still strong, and your spirit is even stronger.  You can beat this baby; you just have to believe that and remember everything Monica told you.  Even though she isn't here in body, she's still with you.  She's still with all of us."

            "I hope you're right, Tess," Kayla said weakly.  "because right now, I feel anything but strong."


	2. One

Chapter One

            The following week did little to make Kayla feel any better.  She had once again been thrown into the evil forces of chemotherapy, causing her to feel tired and nauseated most of the time, but even worse than that was the heaviness of her heart.

            Monica had died.  That truth kept going through her mind over and over again and she was having trouble comprehending it.  She considered herself a "baby Christian", her faith in God still being something relatively new to her, and just knowing how strong Monica's faith had been and that she had still lost her battle to survive, was doing little to help Kayla trust Him.  She knew that in reality, there was little else she could do, but surely Monica had believed that God would heal her and Kayla couldn't help but to feel that He had let her down.

            A soft knock at her door disrupted her reverie and she looked up to see Jordan peeking in at her, a devilish grin on his handsome face.  Kayla had met him last week on her way back from chemo when he had nearly collided with her wheelchair due to not being able to see around the huge clown nose he had been wearing.  His surprised and embarrassed expression had struck her particularly funny and he had chattered with her as she had been wheeled back to her room.  He volunteered in the Children's ward several times a week, coming up with new ways to entertain them and to make them forget temporarily that they were sick. 

            "You can come in, Jordan," She smiled in return, watching as he came over and sat down in the chair beside of her bed.

            "How are you feeling today, Kay?" He asked, leaning back in his chair as he steadily met her eyes.  Ever since literally bumping into her a week ago, an easy friendship had begun to develop and he enjoyed checking in on her once he was finished with the kids.

            "Only one more round of chemo to go," She replied, trying to sound optimistic and enthusiastic, though she was feeling anything but those things, "Then another battery of tests to find out if it did any good."

            "Well, I have a great feeling about it," He quipped, clearly sensing her discouragement.  She had finally confided in him two nights ago about losing a friend to the same disease that was ravaging her body, and he was not about to let Kayla give up now.

            She grinned and shook her head, "Jordan, you have a great feeling about most things, I only wish it was contagious."

            "No, I'm serious.  I think you are going to get good results this time.  Besides, I'm getting way too attached to you for you to do anything else but get better," He teased, throwing a wink her way.

            "What did you do for the kids today?"

            "We had a sing-a-long," He sensed her desire to change the subject and allowed it, "You should join us on Wednesday.  You'd have a great time."

            "We'll see," she replied noncommittally, having no idea how she would be feeling two days from now and unable to feel as if she could make plans that far ahead.

            Jordan was quiet for a moment as he stood up to leave, but he hesitated and turned back to face her, "You know, Kay, you still have plenty of life left in you to live, but you have to take it.  Sitting back and waiting for something terrible to happen isn't going to solve anything, nor make you feel any better.  Yes, you lost your friend, but that doesn't mean you are going to die."

            She fell silent, gazing down at her blanket as her fingers picked at invisible lint balls on it, "Maybe you should go." She stated finally, still choosing not to look at him, though there was no anger present in her voice.

            "Maybe I should." Jordan agreed softly, though he hesitated for a fraction of a second before exiting her room.

            "He's right, Kayla."  The young human's head snapped up at the sound of the Gaelic voice and she gasped as she saw Monica standing beside of her bed, engulfed in a beautiful, warm light.  Her friend looked healthy and completely at peace and Kayla blinked several times in order to try and clear her vision from what she felt certain was a hallucination.

            "Don't be afraid, Kayla," Monica spoke softly, a loving smile on her face as she looked at her friend, "I'm an angel and God sent me with a message for you."

            "An angel?" Kayla repeated, trying to make sense of this, "God makes people into angels when they die?"

            "No, I was always an angel, Kayla, and was sent here to complete a special assignment; special because it was unlike any assignment I've ever had before, but in this case an angel had to experience human death in order to show someone else how to live.  You."

            "I…I don't understand…"

            "Jordan was right, Kayla.  You're giving up because of what happened to me, but every illness with every person is different and only God knows the plan for your life.  What I do know is that God isn't finished with you yet, Kayla, and that there is still life here to be lived, but also know that on the other side of this life, there is also life with Him." Monica told her gently, her own eyes twinkling with tears as she remembered the many times she had questioned the Father's plan while she had been so sick, "I was afraid as well as an angel had never died before, but before that happened, I placed my existence in His hands and that is what He is asking you to do now."

            "I'm going to…get better?" Kayla uttered weakly, still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that her friend was an angel as another thought struck her, "Tess and Andrew…are they-?"

            "Yes, they are angels as well and my dearest friends."

            Seeing the glimmer of sadness in Monica's dark eyes, Kayla realized the truth, "You haven't seen them since…" Seeing her friend shake her head sadly, she continued, "They were heartbroken, Monica.  They miss you and….so do I."

            "I miss all of you too," the little angel consented, trying to push aside her sadness, "But if it is in God's plan, I will see them and you as well again, but in the meantime, God and I want you to fight this, Kayla and put your trust in God."

            "I will," Kayla whispered, feeling a peace rush over her as she said those words and she smiled and repeated with more confidence, "I will." Seeing Monica smile through her tears, the human looked at her hopefully, "As I don't know when I will see you again, I just wanted you to know what a good friend you have been to me and is it acceptable to hug an angel?"

            A small giggle escaped the angel's lips, as she leaned over and wrapped her arms around her friend, "Perfectly acceptable."

*****

            Andrew walked aimlessly down the now deserted street, unable to focus his thoughts on anything other than his best friend.  It had been a week and he had not heard one word from her nor the Father about when she was coming back and when he would see her again and it was wearing heavily on him.

            Though he now understood what Adam had been trying to show him, he still couldn't deny the fact that he missed Monica terribly and his heart longed to see her again, now free from the disease that had caused her human form to wither and die.  He missed the mischievous sparkle in her dark eyes and the sound of her Irish lilt that had always reminded him of a beautiful song that only she could sing, and he wasn't sure of how much longer he could last without seeing her.

            "I miss her too, baby," Tess assured him as she appeared and fell in step beside of him.

            "How much longer, Tess?  How much longer until we are going to be permitted to see her?" He asked, trying to remain calm, but feeling all but that in his heart.

            "I don't know, Angel Boy.  The Father hasn't said anything to me yet, but we know she is all right and that is the important thing."

            "But I don't feel all right!" He burst out as he stopped walking, "Angels aren't supposed to die, Tess, and Monica did!  I know she is fine, but I'm not."

            "We just never knew that angels could die, baby," the older angel told him firmly, knowing that this outburst was out of character for him, "It wasn't that they weren't supposed to die, but that we didn't know it was a possibility.  We'll see her again when the Father says that we can."

            Though Tess' words were firm, Andrew could still see the sorrow in her eyes and he knew that it was tormenting her every bit as much as it was him.  Letting out a soft sigh, ever the comforter, Andrew wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "You're right, Tess.  I was letting my emotions take over my common sense for a minute.  The Father's plan is perfect, but I guess I am just anxious to see her when she hasn't been suffering."

            Tess nodded her head in agreement as well as in understanding, "That makes two of us then, Angel Boy.  That makes two of us." 


	3. Two

_Supreme apologies for the huge delay in this chapter.  Life has been hectic, to say the least.  Thanks and big hugs to everyone still hanging in there with us on this wee tale.  _

**Chapter Two**

_One week later…_

            "Permission to come aboard?"  A disembodied voice floated through Kayla's door, and the young woman rolled her eyes playfully, knowing immediately who the voice belonged to. 

            "Denied."

            "Okay fine… be that way," Jordan said laughingly as he entered the room and dropped into a chair next to Kayla's bed.  "How are you feeling today?"

            An impish grin spread across her pretty face, "Well, actually, I feel great today.  Well, actually, better than great… terrific actually."

            Jordan's eyes lit up, already knowing what Kayla was going to say next.  "Gee, I can't imagine what's got you so happy."

            "Doctor Stanton was in here about an hour ago.  The cancer's gone… I'm officially in remission!"  the young woman's grin widened, and her eyes twinkled.

            Jordan let out a little whoop of excitement and caught Kayla up in his arms.  "Hey, that's great!  So when are they letting you outta the joint?"

            "Tomorrow, I think.  I have to have my hickmann's line removed later today, and then one more round of bloodwork.  Tomorrow morning they're going to give me instructions for maintence chemo and turn me loose."  She told him, hugging him back tightly.  "I feel like it's finally over."

            Jordan smiled as he released Kayla, "Well, I'm thrilled that you're finally getting out of here, but I have to say that I'm going to miss seeing you so often." He took her hand in his, squeezing it lightly

            "I hadn't planned to stop seeing you, as long as it's not here," she replied.  "I'm so glad I met you, and I've been very grateful for your friendship.  I don't have any intentions of letting go of that."

            Jordan grinned, "Glad to hear that.  And I think we can arrange something away from here, as long as I don't have to wear the clown shoes." 

            "You mean you don't wear them all the time?"  Kayla asked, feigning innocence.

            "Very funny," Jordan said, trying to look stern.  "You're lucky I've got an appointment with said shoes and a bunch of kids, or we'd have this out right now."  He gave her another quick hug before standing, "I'll see you later, ok?"

            "Definitely," Kayla gave a little wave as Jordan left the room and headed up to the pediatric wing.  After he had gone, she sighed contentedly and leaned back against the pillows.  For the first time in a long while, her life seemed to be going perfectly.  She was about to be released from the hospital with a clean bill of health, and she had a very good feeling about she and Jordan.  He was the best thing in her life since Monica had left.  He seemed to truly care about her, and the fact that he was gorgeous definitely was a plus, especially at a time when Kayla had felt totally unattractive.  The only thing that was missing was Monica.  Kayla wished so much to be able to see her and talk to her.  She sighed again and looked upward. "God, I know Monica's an angel and all, but she's also the best friend I ever had.  Please tell her – wherever she is – that I miss her."

***

            Adam walked through the park, a calm smile on his face.  He had just gotten off an assignment, and unlike some of his work, this time was a joy.  He was assigned to take a 102 year old man home and before they left, the man insisted that Adam call him Charlie, and then showed him pictures of all 23 grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Charlie had always been a staunch believer in God, and so he was thrilled to meet his angel, and actually had been looking forward to going Home.  He told Adam that he had lived a full life, and now his body was telling him that it was time to move on to the next, where he was sure to be able to watch over his family.  The only question Charlie had had, in fact, was whether or not they played poker in heaven.  After Adam assured the old man there were poker tables where you didn't lose money, Charlie was more than ready to go.

            Adam stopped walking and took a seat on a nearby park bench.  The sun was just starting to go down, sending hues of purple and orange cascading across the sky.  "Father, thank you for days like this, and assignments like this.  It's humans like Charlie that make me glad to be an angel of death."

            The angel sat in silence for a few moments more until he heard a soft voice speaking to his heart.  His handsome face contorted in sadness as the Father told him what his next assignment was to be.  "Oh God, please… no."  He continued to hope that he heard wrong when he heard a soft sound coming from the trees across the path, and he knew that he had not.

            He quickly walked through the trees, and found a young woman lying on the ground, making soft sounds of pain as she tried to regain consciousness.  Adam didn't know what had happened to this woman, but he did know that she hadn't gotten here on her own.  As he knelt down beside her, he felt more knowledge drift into his heart, and he had to swallow a lump that had formed in his throat.  "Why, Father?  Why?"  A tear rolled down his face as he gently gathered the woman's slight body into his arms, speaking soft words of comfort to her as he was told what to do next.

***

            "Here's your tea, Angel Boy," Tess said as she handed Andrew a mug and retreated to the sofa with her own.  Kayla had just left for the evening, after having dinner with the two angels.  God had not given them any other assignments since their friend's death, only instructing the older angels to "wait and see."  So, they were using the time to continue what Monica began with Kayla.  Over the two weeks since Monica had died, a deep friendship had begun to form between the three.  Kayla had told Tess about the visit she had gotten from Monica and how it helped her find the strength to get better, but the young human had also confided that she still missed her angelic friend.

            Andrew took the cup gratefully and settled back in the chair he was sitting in.  "You know, it feels good to finally have someone to take care of again, even if it's not Monica," he said with a half smile.

            Tess smiled back, but chose not to say anything.  She knew he was still grieving hard over losing Monica, but the fact that the two of them had grown  so close to Kayla was helping a little bit.  The young woman had been spending a lot of time at the angels' apartment, and Andrew's nature had caused him to appoint himself as Kayla's protector.  He had even gone as far as to give Jordan the third degree when he had come to pick Kayla up for their first date after the young woman had gotten out of the hospital.  

            "Do you think we'll see her again soon?"  Andrew asked, referring to his best friend.

            Tess hesitated a moment before answering, "I don't know, baby, but I definitely hope so.  Have you been feeling anything?"  Her two young charges had always shared a connection that baffled her.  Many times over the years it had been as if they shared emotions.  If Monica was hurting or frightened, Andrew was usually the first to know.

            "I don't think so," he said, shaking his head.  "I mean, sometimes it seems like I am, but I think it's just my imagination."

            Tess was getting ready to respond when she heard a knock at the door.  "I wonder who that is at this hour," she said, getting up to answer it.  As the older angel pulled open the door, her expression turned to one of surprise.  "Sam?"

            "Hello Tess," Sam said as he stepped into the apartment and followed Tess to the living room.  "How have you two been?"

            "We're hanging in there," Andrew replied.  "What brings you here this late?"

            Sam took a seat next to Tess on the sofa as he tried to find a good way to tell his friends what God had sent him to say.  "I'm here to talk to you about the status of Monica's assignment,"  He said, figuring htat keeping it to business would give him time to stall.

            Tess looked confused, "You mean there's more to be done?  I thought that Monica had finished her work before she went Home."  She still didn't like to say that Monica had died.  It sounded foreign, wrong.

            Sam nodded, "Well, she did finish part of the assignment, but the second part is about to begin.  I wish I could say that it would be easier than the first part, but unfortunately that's not going to be the case."

            "What do you mean, Sam?  How much harder can it get?"  Andrew asked the questions without really wanting an answer.  His stomach was already telling him that there were many ways things could get worse.

            "I don't have much information at all, to be honest," Sam told him.  "But I do know that Monica will be arriving here shortly, and then the assignment will begin.  This time, however, Monica is one of the assignments.  You two are going to be helping both her and Kayla through the road ahead.  What's on that road, I don't know.  I'm sorry I don't have more information for you."

            Tess looked worriedly at Sam, and then her eyes shifted to Andrew, who had a pained look on his face.  "Angel boy?  What's wrong?"

            Andrew didn't speak for several moments as he seemed to be concentrating fiercly on something.  "I'm not sure yet, Tess.  I think I'm feeling something, but it's very weak."  He looked to Sam.  "Do you know what's going on?"

            Sam shook his head, his face a mask of concern.  "I don't know, Andrew, but I think you should keep concentrating."

            The three angels sat in silence as Andrew continued to listen to his heart.  After what seemed like an eternity, he gasped and said.  "Tess… it's Monica.  I can feel her again."

            Tess grinned widely and looked toward Sam.  "That's a good thing, right?  If he can feel her, that means that she's back."  Sam nodded, a smile making it's way across his face.

            "No, wait," Andrew spoke up again, his voice soft.  "There's something wrong."

            Tess's face fell.  "What's wrong, baby?" 

            "I don't know…"  Andrew's eyes grew shiny.  "But, something's terribly wrong."


End file.
